EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 39 TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF MOTOR VEHICLE REGULATIONS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUEL SUPPLIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE

Executive Order

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF MOTOR VEHICLE REGULATIONSTO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUEL SUPPLIES THROUGHOUT THE STATEWHEREAS, the uninterrupted supply of fuel oil, diesel oil, gasoline, kerosene, propane, and liquid petroleum gas to residential and commercial establishments is an essential need of the public during the wintertime, and any interruption in the delivery of those fuels threatens the public welfare; andWHEREAS, the periods of extreme cold weather this season has increased the demand for those heating fuels and threatens the uninterrupted delivery of those fuels to residential and commercial customers, thereby justifying an exemption from 49 CFR Part 395 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations); andWHEREAS, 49 CFR § 390.23 allows the governor of a state to suspend the rules and regulations under 49 CFR Part 395 for up to 30 days if the Governor determines that an emergency condition exists; andWHEREAS, under N.C.G.S. §§ 166A-19.3(6) and 166A-19.70, the Governor may declare that the health, safety, or economic well-being of persons or property in this State require that the maximum hours of service for drivers prescribed by N.C.G.S. § 20-381 be waived for persons transporting essential fuels.NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and the laws of the State of North Carolina, IT IS ORDERED:Section 1.The Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, shall waive the maximum hours of service for drivers prescribed by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 20-381.Section 2.Notwithstanding the waiver set forth above, size and weight restrictions and penalties are not waived.Section 3.The waiver of regulations under 49 CFR Part 395 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations) does not apply to the commercial drivers’ licenses and insurance requirements.

Section 4.The North Carolina State Highway Patrol shall enforce the conditions set forth in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Executive Order in a manner which will implement this rule without endangering motorists in North Carolina.Section 5.Upon request by law enforcement officers, exempted vehicles must produce documentation sufficient to establish their loads are being used for relief efforts associated with the cold weather.Section 6.This Executive Order is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for thirty (30) days or the duration of the emergency, whichever is less.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in the City of Raleigh, this fifteenth day of January in the year of our Lord two thousand and fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seven.